


Hanahaki : Love Hurts

by angelcarstairs4679



Series: Random Haikyuu aus [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 10:40:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18849394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelcarstairs4679/pseuds/angelcarstairs4679
Summary: Hanahaki. A disease that ravages the body when one falls into a one sided love relationship, making the person cough up flower petals as it spreads through the lungs.OC falls in love with Oikawa just when she finds out when he has found a girlfriend. How will she go around this one-sided love crisis or will something bloom from this? (OCX Oikawa) (OC X Iwaizumi)





	1. Chapter 1

**So was at my friend's birthday party and she introduces me to a fanfic where the OC has a crush on Todoroki but Todoroki loves Momo instead (man I ship them so much) and she develops hanahaki which is basically a disease where person coughs up flowers when they experience a one sided love and I thought, why not do it with Oikawa?**

**I know a lot of people call him a piece of trash but I feel like he's just misunderstood (I know he treats Kageyama like shit but honestly, teenage jealousy can be rough).**

**Hope you enjoy this. It should go on for about 10 chapters or maybe less but we'll see.**

**I don't own the characters (except for the OC Rin Tachibana).**

_Hanahaki._

_A disease that ravages the body when one falls into a one-sided love relationship, making the person cough up flower petals as it spreads through the lungs._

_The only way a person can be cured is either by making sure the other person falls in love with them as well or they can opt for a surgery to remove the infection but at the price of losing the love they have felt for the person they loved but never had any feelings returned to them._

Never would I have thought this stupid disease would happen because I fell in love with a certain piece of trash.

The more I watched Oikawa smashed the ball across the court, the more I felt like I wanted to smack him across the face.

The smirk on his face, the cocky way he stood as he waves at his fangirls, the way he teased his teammates, lacking the respect they deserved so much for having to put up with a person like him.

So when did it all start?

I stood in front of the mirror, blood splattering the sink as I tried to hack up whatever was in my throat. The first time I had coughed up flowers made me wonder if I was hallucinating or if it was all just a stupid trick. Then again, I don't think that it would be possible for someone to make a practical joke of putting flowers in my food and let me hack them up.

I wiped my mouth, my throat starting to get sore as guzzled some water before heading back to class. This problem was driving me up the wall not only from the fact I had to hide the fact that I was in a one-sided relationship crisis but also due to the fact that the person I'm infatuated with is the single most annoying popular guy on campus.

Tough luck I had to fall in love with a jerk like him.

I sidled into the classroom, holding a handkerchief to my mouth as I plopped down on my seat and opened a book to pretend to read it. He should be appearing in 3, 2, 1…

"Kyahh, Oikawa-san!" the girls squealed as the ever all so mighty Grand King of the Court (a nickname I had heard from my cousin Tobio from Karasuno) as they flocked over him.

I could never forgive the fact that he had treated and is still treating my little cousin so cruelly over something as stupid as being better at him in volleyball.

Even more, reason I wondered why the hell I had to have been landed into this shit.

"Iwai-chan! Ohayo!" he grinned as he waved to his best friend who was in the class next door. Some of the girls squealed as he gave him a nod before ducking into the class, the bell rings to signal the start of the lesson as everyone headed to their seats.

"Morning, Rin-chan," Oikawa grinned as some of the girls hissed at me, some of them giving me looks that suggested I should be careful of some of my things going missing later in the day as the teacher came in.

The only reason Oikawa would ever speak to me was that he was the volleyball captain and I was the manager of the men's volleyball team.

Every day I had to watch him and the others play on the court, the ball whooshing from one side to the other as they fought, a battle of wits and strength on the court. Yells and screams as they passed the ball from one to another, attack after attack as blockers rose to meet them.

The thrill of the game made my heart race even though I never played it.

One of the main reasons I joined the team as manager was that they were in desperate need and for some reason, they had roped me in. If Oikawa knew that I and Tobio were cousins…

No, now wasn't the time to bring Tobio into the mix. He has much worse problems to deal with now. Like kicking Oikawa's ass on the court.

As much as they're my team and I love them to bits, seeing the smirk getting wiped off his face would be the best thing that ever happened to me. And for his sake, if he ever wanted to be a normal human being.

"Neh neh, I wonder why Oikawa-san always talks to Tachibana-san."

"Ah she's the manager, isn't she? Gah, I wished I had signed up as manager but I don't know anything about volleyball."

"I heard that her cousin is that genius setter from.., Karasuno was it? Oh, I've seen pictures of him in a magazine and he's super cute!"

I smirked to myself as I stuffed my books into my bag and stood up to go for volleyball practice, knowing full well that Oikawa hated it whenever someone brought up Tobio in a conversation and that those girls never stood a chance in getting Oikawa's attention.

The guy only lived and breathed volleyball after all. I was surprised he hadn't had a girlfriend given how popular he was.

"Yo, Rin," Iwaizumi called as he stood at the door, a smug look on his face as he waited for me to come and walk to the gym together. For some reason, Oikawa was missing in action today from the class which I thought was pretty odd since he would normally wait for Iwaizumi but this round, he had upped and left the moment the bell had rung.

"So today we'll be going through the drills and practicing blocks and serves. Ah, Yahaba-san might be put in as a spare setter this round but we'll also let him play on the court…" I murmured as we walked down the stairs into the outside world, the wind hitting my face along with the slight breeze.

We turned to walk to where the gym was when I heard a familiar voice said, "Sure."

My heart leaped in my chest as I heard the familiar voice said those words, words that normally wouldn't mean squat to me but for some reason, my heart was racing so much.

What was this feeling?

Was it… jealousy?

"Ah, but I have to go to volleyball practice. What about we meet after 5 pm tomorrow for coffee in town?"

"Haik! Thanks so much, Oikawa-san!" a girl squeaked, although I didn't recognize her voice as I felt something constricting in my throat, my chest starting to hurt as I clung onto the wall for balance.

"Oi, Rin! What's wrong?" Iwaizumi demanded just as I blacked out, the last thing I saw was pink floating in the sky as I fell into Iwaizumi's arms.

…

"Seriously? I didn't know that damn thing was a thing."

"I'm afraid it is, Iwaizumi-san. Well, she can always go for surgery to remove the infection but she will forget about the person in the end. Poor child, youth can be such a painful thing," a woman's voice said as I cracked open my eyes to see Iwaizumi sitting next to my bed.

"I'll leave you to it," the nurse said as she popped out of the office to leave the both of us in awkward silence when Iwaizumi finally said, "She said you had hanahaki."

That just confirmed my worse fears. A thing of fiction, something I thought would only happen in shojo manga was now happening to me and if I don't do anything about it, I either bring my love to the grave and cough up flowers for life or I can just get the damn thing out and forget I even loved Oikawa in the first place.

"Shit it all. Why him of all people?" I groaned as I hacked up a single petal. It was a sakura petal, pink and smooth despite it having been hacked out of my throat as it fell to the floor.

To think I had to faint in front of his best friend as well…

"Rin, how about you try and be my girlfriend?"

My heart stopped as I turned to look at Iwaizumi, who was slightly flushed in the face as he breathed in, "I know you like Oikawa but now that he has a girlfriend, it would only hurt you even more if you continue to have any feelings for me so I was hoping that if you were with me, perhaps it might help relieve the disease."

Iwaizumi Hajime. One of the smartest and hottest boys in our year whom I see as a potential opponent in arm wrestling and squabbles is asking me to be his girlfriend.

But then, I didn't love him the way I did Oikawa, although Iwaizumi was one of the few people I cared most.

But I had to stop this stupid hanabaki disease or it's just going to make things more complicated.

"I'll ask this again; will you be my girlfriend?"

Silently I nodded and Iwaizumi looked like a lot of pressure had been lifted from his shoulders as a small smile formed on his face, reaching out to put his hand over mine just as when the nurse came in, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she congratulated us on becoming a couple. Apparently, she had been eavesdropping outside.

"Come on, we better get to practice or Oikawa will have a row with us," Iwaizumi murmured as he pulled me to my feet, guiding me out of the infirmary.

This would be the start of a web of lies that would only break more than just one heart.

**Well Iwaizumi has always been one of my favourites as well so thought it would be cool to have a love triangle of sorts hehe.**

**All comments are welcomed!**

 


	2. Chapter 2

The hanahaki disease wasn't going away.

In fact, it was getting worse.

Not matter how much time I spent away with Iwaizumi, trying to forget about Oikawa and him going out with his new girlfriend or maybe even accidently finding a picture of them online, I just felt like throwing up flowers every time I saw it.

Literally.

"Are you feeling any better?" Iwaizumi murmured as he stirred the coffee he had in front of him. I wondered how on earth he ever even liked to drink coffee that bitter; black with no sugar and milk. I was more of a tea girl.

"Slightly," I lied as he quirked an eyebrow. Iwaizumi was one of my close friends and now boyfriend and he had always been the type who had been able to read the situation much more.

Doesn't he feel mad that he was dating a girl who has feelings for his best friend?

We had been dating for about a month now and with the gossip going around in school about the two strongest members of the volleyball team being in relationships, that just made all the fangirls in the school go insane with jealousy.

I couldn't keep track of how many times my books have been found floating in the pond or how often my bag seemed to have found itself in the rubbish bin.

Iwaizumi was in the class next door so he couldn't protect me either. Besides, not like I wanted protection.

"You know you should try to ask your boyfriend for more help. I know you like to be an independent woman but at least make me feel a little more useful," Iwaizumi murmured as the tips of my ears turn red.

"You make it sound all wrong. I just don't want to trouble you when you guys have interhighs coming up," I groaned as I sipped my tea, which had began to get cold just as the door opened, a tinkling sound filling the air as Oikawa and his girlfriend (sheesh, I could never remember her name at all) walked in and took their seats in a table on the far end of the room.

"Oh Lord," I murmured as I felt the urge to hack up some flowers when Iwaizumi put a hand over mine.

"Look here," he murmured as he leaned forward, kissing me gently on the lips. Some heads turned as they saw us kissing since this wasn't exactly a café where many people showed public affection but it did the trick, soothing down my nerves ever so slightly.

He tasted like the gym, bitterness, and kindness.

But somehow, I felt a twist in my stomach that my first kiss had gone to Iwaizumi.

"Yahalo Iwai-chan. I didn't know you were much of a kisser," a cheery voice said as Oikawa walked over, a smirk in his face as he waved at us. We broke apart, Iwaizumi not even showing the slightest hint of embarrassment while I was trying my best not to turn red.

"Shut up, Shittykawa," both of us snapped at the same time as Oikawa's girlfriend laughed.

"I didn't know both of you were dating. You always seemed more invested into volleyball than anything," she said, the way her mouth turned in amusement making me want to smack her right across the face.

"Neh neh, Hana-chan. Let us not worry about them and order some food. I highly recommend the omelette rice here," Oikawa grinned as he put an arm around her and led her away from us, but not before blowing a raspberry at Iwaizumi.

"He's such a child, sheesh," I groaned as I held the cup to my lips.

"Do you want to come over to my place this weekend?"

I almost spat out my tea in his face as I tried not to run any images through my head, my mind immediately going to making out in bed and having a little naughty time all alone with Iwaizumi.

Come on, I should be glad I was dating him! Any girl would want to do that with him!

"Sure," I murmured as I mentally cursed myself for putting myself in an awkward situation.

…

Iwaizumi Hajime didn't have to be a genius to figure out that he was falling in love with Rin Tachibana. Sure he wasn't hacking up flowers the way she was (although he still wondered why on earth that was happening to her but touch wood, he hoped he didn't get it as well) but ever since she began to be the manager of their ever so crazy and out of control team and for once being able to put even Oikawa in check, he felt his heart fall for the red head with clear green eyes.

"Yo, Shittykawa. What do you think of Rin?" Iwaizumi had randomly said as they were walking home from practice. As usual, both of them had stayed well past the training hours and had to lock up everything on their own.

"Ah, Rin-chan? She's cute but too temperamental of a woman for me. I prefer a more cute and submissive person who doesn't snap back at everything I did," he whistled as Iwaizumi said, "Then you don't mind if I dated her right?"

"Nah nah you can do whatever you want with her."

_That idiot. He doesn't realize how much pain he's causing her right now. How she coughs up flowers to the point of injuring her throat and her heart._

_How could he not love such an amazing girl?_

_Sure, her personality did remind him of a certain someone from junior high and a shitty captain put together and made female but he couldn't help but for fall her even more._

Iwaizumi thought he had hit the jackpot when she had collapsed in front of him and he had brought her to the infirmary only to ask her to be his girlfriend. He had hoped to do it in a slightly more appropriate manner but he couldn't keep it in any longer.

He had felt like punching Oikawa to kingdom come when he had literally broken Rin's heart when he had accepted the girl's request to date her. The tears that had silently fallen from Rin's eyes that she failed to notice, the flowers flowing out of her mouth as she fell to the ground.

He would make sure that she would never cry like that ever again.

…

"Yo Tobio. Whats up?" I chirped into the phone as Tobio sighed. I was surprised the guy even picked up the call since he was never the type of person to use his phone, let alone use social media. That guy had a head made out of volleyballs and had been getting more stuck in it as he entered high school.

Why he had gone to Karasuno I had always wondered but I didn't question him since that was his own choice and I'm pretty sure all hell would break lose if he had transferred to Aoba Johsai.

"I spitting out flowers."

I almost dropped my phone when I heard his words.

Tobio found love?!

"Who is it? Spill it."

"Ah it's a girl on the volleyball team. Ah… it's kind of complicated. She's trying to pass off as a guy so she could be on the boys' team but I don't know if it would make things more complicated. Shoot, I thought I was gay for a moment until she told me that she was a girl."

I did recall Tobio telling me a lot of a certain orange head that could fly on their team and I smiled thinking that finally, someone was able to reach out to him despite how awkward the situation was that she was hiding her gender from the team.

"Its annoying me. I don't want to feel love but now that I am, this stupid problem cropped up. I don't want everyone thinking that we're together since we're supposed to be guys and I don't want any distractions."

"Tobio, just do it."

"Rin, I know you've always been straight forward about it but I never thought you would be like that with love."

"Shut it."

If any girl can make Tobio like something other than volleyball, they're meant to be with him.

"If you don't tell her that you like her, someone is going to ask her out and that will be end game for you. You want to know how much it would hurt as hanahaki progresses and how annoying it would be for you to continue to cough up flowers from your throat?"

"You sound like you've been through it."

Shit, that guy knew how to pick it up.

"Anyway, just tell her you love her and that's that. See you at the volleyball meet next week."

We were scheduled to have a practice match with Karasuno in a week and I was itching to see who was the girl who had captured my ever so thick headed dense cousin's heart.

As I ended the call, I sighed as I stared at the ceiling, my finger running over my lips as I thought of my first kiss being stolen by a best friend whom I don't love.

**Thought it would be pretty cool to put a genderbent Hinata in this. I'm not really into yaoi but I really want Tobio to be able to find love in someone (that precious child needs more love!) and I did read a fanfiction where there was a genderbent Hinata and it was just so cute omg.**

**See you in the next chapter!**

 


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter has just made me tingle as I typed it. OMG been a while since I wrote something like this... gah...**

**I don't own the characters except for the OCs.**

My hands shook a little as I made my way towards Iwaizumi's house. Even though he was right next to me since we had headed right after school under the pretense that we were going to go through volleyball strategies and budget issues, I felt like we were going to do something naughty.

Oikawa wasn't walking with us since he had gone to town with his girlfriend to catch the latest Godzilla movie, which I was pretty sure Iwaizumi would love to watch but was refraining so that Oikawa wouldn't see me coughing up flowers in the middle of the movie.

Damn this damn hanahaki disease.

"I'm home," Iwaizumi murmured as he opened the door, the smell of food wafting in through the doorway filling the air as a woman with his spiky hair peeked from the kitchen, a cheery smile on her face as I bowed to her.

"Thank you for having me."

"Not at all! It's not all the time Hajime brings home a girl. I was even beginning to wonder if he was too busy with volleyball or if he swings the other way…"

"We're going upstairs."

"Dinner will be ready soon."

His mother gave him a wink before disappearing into the kitchen as he sighed, leading me up the stairs into his bedroom. It was simple, the curtains were drawn to prevent light from entering, a volleyball sitting in the corner which he picked up and tossed it into the air before spiking it at the wall.

"Oi, Onichan! Don't hit the wall with the ball! It's freaking annoying!" a girl's voice chirped from the other side as I plopped down.

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"Ignore her. She's annoying."

"I heard that Onichan! And also, how the hell did a gorilla like you get a girlfriend? Is she a female gorilla?" his sister crooned as I felt a vein pop in my head.

"Don't," he murmured as I slowly withdrew my hand from his, het surging to my face as I huffled on the ground, the awkwardness starting to fill the air when he whipped out the files from the volleyball team.

"So we were going to go through the schedule for next week."

"Ah right. So we have a game with Karasuno next Friday at 3pm. Then we have another practice game with Johzenji."

"Ah those clowns. Never fail to surprise us when we play."

Iwaizumi managed to get us back into a rhythm of being able to talk normally and we soon fell into a conversation of who we were going to play with and the exercise menus we had put together for each of the guys. When we came to Oikawa's one, I just let Iwaizumi handle it since what I basically knew was that he would just practice until his body gives way.

"That Shittykawa. He needs to take care of himself more," Iwaizumi murmured as he stood up and whipped off his shirt with a flourish before snatching one from his drawer that had a dinosaur on it.

I felt myself blushing furiously even though I had seen the guys undress so many times in front of me since they couldn't be bothered to go to the lockers to change sometimes.

Why am I embarrassed about looking at my own boyfriend?

"Rin, do you feel uncomfortable?"

My heart jumped in my chest as he put a hand on mine before closing it on my hand, tugging me up before pushing me onto the bed. My heart hammered in my chest as I felt his breath above me, his breath hot and his body sweaty from all the training from today.

"Want me to make you more comfortable?" he murmured as I gulped. I never expected him to be the dominant type.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

The thought of Oikawa being the one on top of me just made my throat swell, even more, threatening to spill flowers onto the bed when I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down on top of me.

He tasted like sweat and gym, his lips soft on mine as we kissed, his hands steadying us on the bed, his bed, as he kissed me harder and harder. I gripped his shirt, wanting to claw at him and just rip it off him when I felt skin under me. He was so warm, so soft… he was such a nice guy.

And I was taking advantage of that kindness.

"Do you want more?" he whispered into my ear as I shuddered, my face already flushed from kissing and my uniform in a mess when I turned to look at him to see Oikawa standing above me.

"Do you want more of me?" he whispered as I forcefully pushed Iwaizumi off me, my heart racing as I grabbed my bag and ran out of the room, apologizing as I yanked on my shoes and ran off into the night.

What was I doing breaking this guy's heart?

…

"Eh, what happened to Rin-chan? I thought she was staying for dinner," Mrs. Iwaizumi asked as Iwaizumi and his sister, Momo sat down for dinner.

"Onichan made her mad. I could hear them making out all the way from my room, it was so gross," Momo snapped as she stuffed grilled fish into her mouth when Iwaizumi bonked her on the head.

"You didn't have to listen, dammit."

"I tried but you guys were making the bed creak."

Their mother's face had gone beet red and looked like she was going to explode when Iwaizumi sighed, "We were just kissing."

"Oh, my baby boy has grown up so much," his mother swooned as Iwaizumi picked at his food. The kiss had been so good and he would have gone beyond that if she had wanted to.

He saw it in her eyes. The longing look she always cast at Oikawa.

Can't she just look at him for once and not his best friend? Iwaizumi was used to girls swooning over Oikawa while he was the background character but this time, he wanted to steal her heart even more.

If Oikawa wasn't going to claim her heart, he would take it for himself.

…

I lay on my bed, my heart still racing as I hack up a single petal from my throat it felt raw and dry as I put my hand in the air before putting them on my lips, feeling how swollen they were from all that kissing.

I blushed at the thought of me and Iwaizumi kissing so much when Oikawa had just intruded my mind.

"Oh god, what am I doing?" I groaned as I rolled in bed, trying to block out his face and voice before slapping myself on the cheeks.

The guys have interhigh. I don't have time messing around with their minds on the subject of love.

As I ripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower, I thought of how much longer it would be until this journey ends for all of us, when Iwaizumi and Oikawa along with Matsun and Maki and the other third years including me retiring. I couldn't imagine the team without Oikawa and Iwaizumi, the crazy duo who had been together since elementary school no longer ruling the court.

Come to think of it, I had to find a successor as well.

One thing at a time. First, let's see how we fared against the clipped crows of Karasuno High School.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**New chapter! Just to clarify, in this story Hinata is a girl dressing up as a boy in order to be able to play on the boys team since she was inspired by the little Giant and wanted to play on the same team as he did (also the girl's team isn't great so she wanted to at least play on the guy's team).**

**I don't own the characters except for Rin and the other OCs.**

Kageyama fidgeted in his seat, trying his best not to cough up any flowers from his throat as Hinata slept next to him, her head on his shoulder as she breathed slowly. She had been unable to sleep the entire night due to the excitement of being able to go for a practice game and the moment they had entered the bus, she had leaned against him and fell asleep.

It took everything in his power to not brush her hair aside and take in every detail on her face.

The curve of her lips, her small little mouth curved in an O shape as she breathed, the way her wavy orange hair fell across her face, shielding her sleeping eyes from view.

How flat her chest was without her actually having made an attempt to hide them.

He blushed as he tried to turn his focus away from her to his teammates in the bus. Most of them were unaware that Hinata was a girl; he himself had found out by accident when he had walked on her changing in the lockers and made a mental note that she was wearing a bra even though her chest was super flat.

Then Daichi had taken him aside and made him swear never to tell anyone about it. Suga and Kiyoko were the only ones who knew but Tsukishima was bound to find out eventually given how well he seemed to be good at poking around people to make them pissed off. Tanaka only commented that the girl had a really high pitched voice and that her chest was a little suspicious but that was about it.

And now they were going to Aoba Johsai for a practice match. How long has it been since he saw Oikawa and Iwaizumi?

Then again, how on earth could his cousin, the rough and tumble Rin who had his temper and the inability to smile unless it was to let souls leave their bodies, she had fallen in love with a guy who cared more about volleyball than girls.

If Oikawa broke his cousin's heart…

"Kageyama, are we there yet?" Hinata whispered as she opened her eyes, brown meeting his dark blue ones to make his skin twitch.

Shit, she's so cute!

"Almost. Better get up and get your mind in one piece. I don't want you slamming into the net or slamming into people during the game like you normally do in practice."

"Gah, that was a one-time thing, Bakayama!"

He gave her a flick on the forehead, a small fire warming his heart as he scratched his throat a little.

Does she love volleyball more than anything or could it be that she might possibly feel the same feelings as he did?

…

My brain was all over the place as I walked to the gym, ready to set up the chairs for the game that afternoon. I had called Tobio to ask how he was but he seemed about fine. For some reason, I wasn't hacking up too many flowers these days but then again, it could just be because I might be developing feelings for Iwaizumi.

Speaking of Iwaizumi, he had gone to prep the guys beforehand, right?

"Oh, if it isn't the manager," a voice crooned as I whipped around to see a bunch of girls from my class that I managed to identify as Iwaizumi groupies.

"Listen here, girl. I don't know why you want to date Iwaizumi because there's no way in hell that he actually likes you but stay back from him. We don't need a slut like you liking two of the hottest boys in school."

My heart flared as I tried to refrain myself from punching them when I thought, "Two?"

"You think we're that stupid to not notice the obvious crush you have on Oikawa? You look at him with puppy dog longing eyes even though he already has a girlfriend. You already have Iwaizumi so why don't you just leave them alone? Oh, although it would be better if you don't date Iwaizumi as well."

The group snickered as I balled my fist, my hand reaching out to grab the ringleader by the collar as her henchmen squealed.

"Leave Iwaizumi out of this."

"Oh, you think your little charade of having to play girlfriend and lover to two best friends is going to last? You don't deserve them, you freaking whore."

_Slap!_

The girl gasped as she stumbled back, clutching her reddening cheek as a boy with orange hair stood in between them, his brown eyes blazing with rage as he growled, "Don't you ever call a girl a slut or a whore. You bitches deserve to just rot in hell."

"Who the heck are you?! That isn't our school uniform!"

"Name's Hinata Shouyou from Karasuno High School. I'm going to fly and win every game until we reach nationals. And we'll start with crushing your team first," he snarled as the girl's squeaked and ran for their lives back to the school building.

"Yo," he grinned when I realized just how high pitched his voice was for a guy and that he seemed to have boobs…

"Oi Hinata. What are you doing running off slapping people like that? Baka," Tobio groaned as he bonked him on the head, the orange head groaning as Tobio turned to look at me.

"Yo, Rin. Its been a while."

"Eh, you know this scowling faced girl?"

"What you talking about, Hinata. She's my cousin."

"Ah, that explains the frown and scowl haha!"

Ah, this must be the mystery girl that Tobio was talking about on the phone. Looking closely at her now, she was pretty cute and I could have seen why he had fallen head over heels with her. A girl with as much passion for volleyball as he did, being able to rise to meet his insane sets, having just as many brains as he did when it comes to classes, they make a perfect match.

"Sorry! I didn't realize… what the hell did you two do this time?!" a silver-haired boy ran over, slamming fists onto their heads to make them howl before gripping them by the collars.

"Sorry, these two can get a little insane when they hear something they don't like. Excuse them," he said as he forced them to bow.

"No no. It's no big deal."

"Ah, you're the manager of the Aoba Johsai team right? Your vice-captain is looking for you now."

Oh shit, I forgot about having to go over the drill with the rest of the guys!

"Excuse me," I murmured as I ran for the gym, my mind going back to my cousin and how he seemed for the first time in his life interested in a fellow human being.

"Where were you? The game's about to start!" Yahaba groaned as they finished doing their stretches. That guy ticked me off but he was a good guy.

"You alright?" Iwaizumi asked as he pulled me against him and gave me a kiss on the mouth, making the guys whoop and hoot as Matsun and Maki snickered, "We could make big cash from taking pics of them doing this."

"Don't," I groaned when I heard someone cough from the entrance.

Kageyama looked ready to faint at the sight of his senior kissing his cousin and I was beginning to flush red when Oikawa entered the scene, his girlfriend in tow as my heart skipped a beat.

My throat immediately felt scratchy and Iwaizumi steadied me, a hand on my back as Oikawa waved.

"Yahoo. How's everyone?" he grinned as Iwaizumi smacked him on the head, making him wince as his girlfriend squealed, "Oikawa-san! Are you alright?!"

"Don't worry, Hana-chan. He's always like this."

Oikawa gave his friend a raspberry before turning to face me.

"Rin, since we're in our final year and all, I thought it would be best if we could find a new manager so they can take the reins of these guys next year. You know how they can be a handful."

'Oi, what the hell Oikawa?!" Yahaba snapped as I nodded, "True true but does anyone even want to take charge of these monkeys?"

"Well, we got one right here."

My heart sank as Hana gave a small bow to us as she said, "I'll be trying out as the new manager starting today. Please take care of me."

As she raised her head and Oikawa gave her a few words of reassurance, I could feel slight anger radiating from Iwaizumi from behind as he tried his best not to haul him over and yell at who in their right frame of mind put two girls who are in love with the same guy in the same vicinity.

Oikawa, are you a sadist or what?

 


	5. Chapter 5

If Oikawa was a sadist, I had to be a masochist for falling in love with someone who didn't love me back and was breaking my heart by being with another girl who I was now stuck with training to be the new manager.

How could my love life get any worse?

The Karasuno team had filed in and were beginning to do their stretches, Tobio and Hinata arguing every so often to the horror of their captain and their vice-captain, who was trying to shush them as the captain did his best not to kick them out of the gym.

It had been years since I saw Tobio acting so happily in his own weird awkward way.

"Good luck out there," I said as I high fived each of the team.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Yahaba grinned as Kindaichi and Kunimi cast a few death stares at Tobio. They had been his teammates back in middle school and apparently had been given hell with his erratic setting on the court to the point of letting the final point go to the opposing team.

Tobio had been so heartbroken about it he nearly quit the sport from the guilt of standing alone on the court.

I was glad that Hinata had brought him back on the court with more power and energy than before.

Oikawa cast his former junior a quick glance, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he walked over to shake Karasuno's captain's hand.

"Yo Tobio-chan. I'll show you how much I've grown," he smirked as Tobio just nodded before walking off.

"Hey if they call you the King of the Court, he should be the Grand King of the court right?" Hinata blurted as Tobio bonked her on the head.

"Don't call me that dammit!"

I snickered a little at the sight just as Iwaizumi whispered into my ear.

"Look here."

I turned my head to get a kiss on the lips, just a quick peck as some of the guys began to cheer and holler from the court.

"Hey Iwaizumu. You can get all lovie dovey later after the game!"

"Shit that's why I want a girlfriend! I need motivation before a game!"

I blushed as the coach murmured on how teenagers these days were and sat on the bench with him, Hana sitting next to me as the whistle blew to signal the game.

Throughout the game I told her the rules of how the rotation works and how they were rotated on and off the court. She didn't know squat about the game despite having hung around with Oikawa who talks about volleyball and volleyball alone. She didn't even know what setter was!

Oikawa, just how big of an idiot can you get in picking girls?

"Here!" a voice yelled as I turned to see Tobio setting the ball into the air and Hinata darting to spike it hard and over the net so fast I barely managed to see the exchange.

Holy shit, what was that?

"Hey, what just happened?" Kindaichi snapped as Kunimi shook his head.

"What the.." Iwaizumi murmured as Oikawa laughed low.

"Oh this is going to be interesting."

Hinata and Tobio were high fiving each other, a big smile on Tobio's face and HInata's face shining so much she looked ready to burn the sun as their bald senior shouted for them to concentrate on the ball.

I had never seen anyone being able to return any of Tobio's freak sets before but Hinata, a girl of all people, had managed to do it without any problems.

Oikawa seemed to be on edge on the court having to face with Tobio once more after so many years. I knew how much he hated the younger boy for having so much more talent then him and not being able to surpass him despite how often he had stayed behind for practice.

I happened to walk into a really bad moment when I went to pick him up for dinner at my place when saw the whole situation unraveling in front of me into a nightmare.

I could only watch as Oikawa was held back by Iwaizumi, who shouted for him to stop being an idiot while Tobio looked at his senior in horror. I wanted to scream at Oikawa for trying to land a hit on my cousin but at the same time, even I would feel frustrated if I was in his position.

Then I had gone to the same high school as Oikawa and he had injured his knee.

Ever since then, he had a limp in it, the injury never having had full recovered since he never properly rested it after the accident but despite all of that, his accuracy and skills became better by each passing day. His communication skills on the court were amazing, being able to pull together the team to make it the strongest there was even though that might have been the first time they had met at all.

That was when I gave a hiccup and a stray pink petal popped out of my mouth.

"Are you alright, Tachibana-senpai?" Hana asked as I snatched the petal at lightning speed and chucked it into my pocket. Holy shit I prayed she didn't see that happen.

"Yes I'm fine. Just a minor cold," I lied when the whistle blew, signaling the end of the match. Shit, what happened? I had been too busy thinking about Oikawa and Tobio when I saw Oikawa bunch up his fist.

So we had lost huh?

Once they were done with cleaning up the gym and getting ready to leave, Hana went to chase after Oikawa who had run out of the gym much faster than I thought he would when I spotted the Karasuno team making their way out of the gym.

"Tobio!" I called as some of the guys turned to look at me, wondering why on earth I had called him by his first name when I thought, "Oh shoot, they don't know that we're relatives."

"Eh, I didn't know you knew Kageyama that well," the bald guy crooned as Tobio sighed, "She's my cousin."

"Eh, introduce me to her!"

"Well she already has a boyfriend," Iwaizumi said as he stepped behind me to put his hand in mine. He even pulled me a bit closer to him for good measure and I just wanted to pull away since he was smelly from sweat and making me stink as well.

"Shit you good looking bastards," baldie growled as he pointed a not so nice sign at him when I murmured to Iwaizumi, "Can I talk to Tobio for a moment."

I released his fingers to go to Tobio, Hinata stopping to wait as well as I grabbed them by the shoulders to shove them out.

"So whats it you want to talk about? You don't normally call me out like this," Tobio murmured as I bowed to Hinata who yelped as she squeaked, "Ah Tachibana-senpai, you don't have to… what did I do wrong this time?!"

"Thank you for being there for my cousin!" I blurted as Tobio yelped, "You don't have to say it dammit!"

"He really loved volleyball and I'm so glad that he finally has someone to receive his sets for him. You have no idea how long I have waited to see him smile on the court and work well on the team. He used to look so lonely that I was worried that eventually he might not be able to cope with the stress but then, you showed up."

I wrapped my arms around Hinata who squeaked as Tobio gawked at me as if I had gone mad, which I probably have.

"Take care of Tobio for me, will you? He likes you much more than you think," I said, giving her a small wink as I released her to make her blush.

"Wha… what are you talking about? This guy is such a freak setter who the hell would want to date him?"

"Well you're a crossdresser dammit so you're less likely to have a boyfriend!"

"Shut it! You want the team to find out about me?!"

I watched as they walked off to the gates, still bickering as I felt warmth flood in my chest to see my cousin at ease for once.

"Yo, you going back now? I think Oikawa is just about finished with his threatening speech to Karasuno right about now," Iwaizumi said as I nodded, slipping my hand into his. Hana had gone to Oikawa, giving him a kiss on the cheek before clinging to him as they walked out of the gates.

I felt my heart did a little summersault at the sight of it as we walked back, thinking of how long I could continue this little charade.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Interhigh was approaching and I still couldn't hold myself together whenever I saw Oikawa. No matter how much I tried to dampen down my feelings or try to get away from it all with Iwaizumi, my heart felt torn whenever I saw him.

Evidence of me having to clean my room of flower petals every day showed how bad it was getting. My throat was always parched and I could barely stay awake when in class, my mind always turning fuzzy when I tried to forget the pain.

If this continues until interhigh…

"Woah, are you alright?" a voice chirped as I glanced up at Oikawa, who had a milkbread in his hand as I tried to stand up to go to the toilet when I felt my knees buckle. Damn, I felt so weak at that moment.

"Oikawa-san?" the girls blurted as Oikawa dropped his food and swept me up bridal style in his arms to march me out of the room, not caring that I was feebly trying to punch him in the chest and that he was carrying his best friend's girlfriend. Not to mention his own girlfriend was staring down the corridor dumbstruck at the whole spectacle.

Ah, Hana-chan. She was a nice enough girl but at the rate, she was going, I didn't know if she would be able to manage the team when we retire.

Not like we would retire anytime soon. I'm pretty sure that if we lose or even if we win, Oikawa and Iwaizumi would stick around to continue playing with the others hot at their heels.

"Let me go, Shittykawa," I groaned, the nickname slipping out of my mouth before I could even register. I used to call him that a lot when we first started out as first years in the club and he had annoyed me to death while Iwaizumi had to stop me from punching him in the gut.

"You're so not cute, Rin," he smirked as we entered the nurse's office and he gently put me on the bed before helping me remove my shoes.

"No buts. I'm going to treat you well today," he grinned as he put the shoes on the ground as I coughed. He quickly went to get water, handing it to me in a glass as I sipped it, my throat burning with pain. I couldn't let something like this continue anymore.

"Hey, you think Hana-chan would be jealous if she saw you with me like this?"

"Ah, that girl can be a little air-headed at times when it comes to this. For all she knows, you might have gotten dizzy and I just happened to be there to take you to the nurse."

I scowled as he put his forehead against mine, his breath hot against me as I tried not to blush. I was so close to him, his lips merely inches from me as he murmured, "Eh, no sign of a fever. That's good."

He got up to leave, leaving me sitting there wondering what the hell had just happened when I felt the tears pouring from my eyes.

Since when had I fallen so hard for him to not be able to control my feelings?

Stop it, stop it. My heart, it was hurting so much and my chest, I thought it would just give way right now at the rate it was going. It hurt so much, the flowers threatening to spill over the sheets when I touched my lips, petals already starting to form around as I sobbed.

This was not looking good.

…

Oikawa closed the door behind him to see Iwaizumi leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he looked up at him.

"Yo Iwai-chan. Sorry for stealing your girlfriend but she fainted back in class."

"Rooftop. Now."

Oikawa sighed as they made the trek to the top floor, clouds forming above them as Oikawa shivered a little. Spring was ending soon but it still was chilly these days. Or maybe it was because Iwaizumi had a look that could kill him right now.

"How long to you plan to play with her feelings?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just being a friend in need."

"Don't screw around with me. You're not so much of an idiot to not notice how much she's fallen for you!"

Iwaizumi reached for his collar and grabbed him, tugging him close as he snarled, "You want to know how much it breaks my heart to know that the girl I love has her eyes on you?"

Iwaizumi's body shook as he gritted his teeth, not wanting to spill everything out since Rin had told him never to tell Oikawa that she loved him. Iwaizumi knew full well that she didn't love him but he didn't want to take the chance.

He had been in love with her since their first year of high school. He loved her smile that appeared every once in a while when they were on the court, her cheers bringing life to his body as she screamed their names, her small frame in his as they did hugs and her blue eyes so dark they could pass as black. She had a kindness that she only showed to those she cared about and he always felt that perhaps deep down, she might feel how much she helped him open up over the years. He always felt himself smiling around her, being at ease.

But deep down he knew that he didn't stand a chance against her when he found out that she loved Oikawa.

When he heard Oikawa had gotten a confession letter and had gone off to meet the girl, he found himself tugging Rin in the specific direction of the meeting. He wanted to show her that she didn't have a chance with Oikawa, that he might not even return her feelings so why….

"Why did she still love you even when you got together with Hana-chan?!" Iwaizumi yelled as the first drop of rain fell from the sky, soon turning into a storm. Lightning even flashed in the horizon as Iwaizumi let the tears come out, glad that the rain hid them from sight as he snarled.

"Don't you dare trample over my love for her. You're hurting her so much more than you think and one day, you'll regret it."

He finally released him and stalked off the roof, slamming the door behind him as Oikawa stared at the sky, not caring that he was getting soaked to the bone as he covered his eyes with his arm.

"I know. But I cannot return her love just yet. I am not worthy of her."

…

Iwaizumi and Oikawa were so quiet during practice today it gave me the shivers. Both of them had come back to class soaked and had to be hauled off to get a change of clothes and during practice, they weren't speaking to one another. Iwaizumi seemed to be a little more clingy than normal as well.

"Meet me outside the locker room later," he said as he walked out with the guys to change. Well, he didn't really have anything to change into since his uniform was soaked through. As I kept the chairs and cleaned up the remainder of the gym, I felt my throat hurt a little more as I pulled up the mask covering my mouth.

The flowers wouldn't seem to stop flowing out. At this rate, I might even have to consider going for surgery.

But I didn't want to lose my love for Oikawa! Even if it hurt me to the point of making me want to die, I didn't want it to disappear.

"Hey, you done?" Iwaizumi called as he leaned against the gym doors, already having changed into clean clothes as I squeaked, the mop still in my hand as I realized that I hadn't even done anything.

"Oh shit, what the hell was I thinking?" I thought as he gripped me by the hand and tugged me over to the storage room where all the cleaning equipment was kept before closing the door behind us.

"Iwai…" I started when he kissed me hard and rough, not giving me a moment to breathe as he kissed. I didn't have time to even think about what was going on, going with the kiss until he started to kiss down my neck.

He was stinking of sweat but he felt so good. His muscles were hard under my fingers, his kisses gentle and smooth, not leaving anything behind.

"Do you want more?" he whispered as I thought of where this was going.

"You want to do it here?"

"I don't care about what the others think. I want you right now. I just want to feel everything from you. I want… I love you so much I can't stand the idiot breaking your heart now."

Ah, so that's why they were both soaked so much.

"Iwaizumi, you're a good friend and I love you, but not in that manner. I'm sorry," I whispered as Iwaizumi buried his face into my shoulder. He had always been so manly around others and never losing control but with me, I felt like I see the vulnerable side he always tries to hide.

How could I be so cruel in casting his love aside the way his best friend had done to me?

"Your flowers are always so beautiful. Even though they are causing you so much pain," he whispered as I noticed that while kissing, some flowers had managed to escape my lips when he ran his thumb over my lower lip.

"This is insane. I can actually see the flowers in your throat. Just how are you living like this?" he whispered as I shook my head.

"I cannot bother you guys with this matter. Interhigh is in a few weeks and I don't want my stupid love spats to get in the way."

"You think I care about interhigh when your life may be in danger?!"

He gripped me so hard by the shoulders that I thought he might crush them as he whispered, "If anything happened to you, volleyball is meaningless to me. Even if we win interhigh and go to nationals, even if we kick Ushijima's ass, without you there to cheer me on, I have nothing on the court to fight for."

I reached to his face to wipe away the tears, his breath hitching as he sank against me, his body hard under me as I patted his back. I stroked his shoulders, moving my fingers in circles as I felt him relax under me before his breaths turned into soft snores.

"You poor thing," I whispered as I sat down, letting him sleep against me as I stared at the ceiling, wondering if what I'm doing now was right.

I could only hope this didn't affect the team during the interhigh.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Interhigh was finally here.

And Tobio and his team will be facing ours on the court.

The atmosphere was so intense I felt like I was standing in the middle of a blazing fire, the heat meeting me in waves as I stared at the boys staring down at each other.

They looked like monsters ready to tear each other apart.

Our banner flew behind us, the words 'Rule the Court' written in white on a blue green backdrop. I always thought how befitting it was for us to have that title. After all, we were the kings of the court.

As the game commences, I couldn't help but cheer for Tobio as well. It was so heart wrenching to have to root for my own team when my cousin's team was battling for their lives on the other side of the court. They fought so hard, spiking and blocking with everything they could, rising to meet every serve and save every block.

Tobio and Hinata were like demons on the court, setting and spiking without stopping, rising to meet each other in the air to smash ball after ball but their efforts were futile.

I could feel the pen shattering under my thumb when the final ball smashed onto their side of the court, Oikawa having just blocked Hinata's spike as they dove for it in vain. I wanted to cry out, scream that it was alright but it wasn't.

This was the end of Karasuno's journey to interhigh finals. The no name school, the fallen crows, clipped crows, they had fought so hard only to fail in vain.

Tobio and Hinata couldn't look at me in the eye as I stood alongside my team, my hand shaking as I shook their manager's hand, who was trying to hold back her tears as my team celebrated in victory.

"Hey, Rin! Come over here!" Iwaizumi grinned as he called everyone for a group huddle. My skin prickled as I felt Hinata's rage wash over me, her aura telling me that she would be back for revenge on the court.

It was terrifying. I thought the gates of hell had been opened to swallow me in.

As we celebrated our victory before having to fight our next opponent, I couldn't help but feel entranced by Oikawa and Iwaizumi. Both of them worked so well in sync, not even having to say anything but their names as they spiked and set.

Just like Hinata and Tobio, they were outmatched on the court until they met the conquerers of the court.

Shiratorizawa Academy. I always hated that school for having so many pompous brats and that their captain was such a rude and sucker for calling everyone weak. He may be in the under 19 Japan boys team but that guy needs to do something about his damn ego!

After our defeat with Shiratorizawa, all of us third years found ourselves back in the gym, standing in a row at what was supposed to be our retiring ceremony.

Maki and Matsun had nothing to say, for once not being able to come up with a running gag to diffuse the tense atmosphere as we waited for our captain to say the words.

"Just so you know, we're not quitting the club."

Ah, I knew he would say that. A huge grin formed on my face as Hana-chan almost dropped her clipboard while the coach had his mouth hanging.

"Oi Oikawa I know you love the sport but you have to take your future seriously! What would happen if you cannot pass your entrance exams? What would you do if you don't get any recommendations?"

"Meh, that's not going to be an issue. Who wouldn't want me on their team?"

"You're letting it get into your head."

The others snickered as Iwaizumi slung an arm over him to rub his head hard, making him howl as the others joined in.

"The hell we're going to leave it hanging! We're going to kick Ushijima's ass and go to nationals!" Iwaizumi yelled.

"Hell yeah, we will!" Maki grinned as Matsun gave him a bro fist. The other third years joined the pile as well. Even though they didn't have a chance to even stand on the court, they still wanted to be a part of it all.

"Please don't tell me you caught their stupidity as well, Tachibana-san," coach groaned as I smiled.

"I think I have."

After that, it was full of training, even going as far to training late into the night until the security had to kick us off campus. We often found ourselves eating together, laughing as we discussed strategies on the court and how to improve spikes and blocks.

Only Hana-chan seemed to not be enjoying the atmosphere.

"Hey, Hana-chan. Are you alright? You seemed a little out," I asked as Oikawa pulled her against him.

"I think she just got too excited over me, didn't you?"

"Oh shut it!" I growled as Hana grabbed her bag before bowing to leave. Oikawa didn't make a move to stop her, instead just grabbing her drink and finishing it before slamming the glass onto the table.

"Oi shouldn't you go chase your girlfriend?" Matsun asked as Oikawa sighed, "I don't want to force her to be where she doesn't want to be."

Come to think of it, ever since we started prepping for the Spring Interhigh, I found that she and Oikawa have been hanging around less and less with one another, most of the time just seeing each other during volleyball practice and even then, she would cling to me despite me trying to shake her off most of the time.

"But damn, you and Rin sure have been really close haven't you, Iwaizumi? Don't tell me. you've already done it haven't you?" Matsun smirked as Iwaizumi spat out his drink while he banged me on the back as I did the same.

"What the hell are you going on about?!" I screamed as Maki and Matsun began to sing.

"Iwaizumi and Rin sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

As Iwaizumi reached over and began to smash fists into their heads, I had to hide my red face when I saw Oikawa looking at me, his eyes boring into mine as though trying to read me.

"What are you staring at?!" I snapped as he sighed before saying, "I'm going back now."

"Eh?! Just when we're getting to the good part!" Yahaba groaned as Oikawa stepped out of the restaurant. The store owner looked ready to kick out us noisy teenagers but at the same time, he couldn't since we basically rule the whole shop at this time of the week.

Was it just me or did Oikawa have a look of longing on his face?

…

Oikawa knew it was coming but he didn't expect it to come so soon. There he was standing at the very place that Hana had asked him to go to and now, she was breaking up with him.

Of course, she would do that. Who would want to be with a guy who only loved and breathed volleyball?

"Oikawa-san. I just wanted to say, it has been great knowing you and all but I feel like you don't love me as much as you should."

Ah, what was love? Oikawa never really knew much about it. His father left the family when he was a child and his mother had gone through so much to feed him and his sister who then got married,pregnant and had a child.

What if he became like his father and couldn't stay in a relationship? What would happen if he became abusive just like his father had and ran away from home when his mother found out he had an affair as well?

"You never kissed me, you didn't do anything other than bringing me for volleyball games, you even made me watch games when I came to your place. You don't even bring me shopping! Or tell me that I look pretty or that you loved me."

No, he couldn't put anyone through the hell his mother went through.

"I'm sorry but I'm breaking up with you."

For some reason, those words didn't hurt him.

In fact, it was like he was set free.

"Thank you Hana-chan. But the truth is, I …"

"You like Tachibana-senpai don't you?"

His heart beat faster at the sound of Rin's name as he thought of the first time he had felt the same way as her. Truth be told, he had thought she was an amazing person right until the point that he had been asked out by Hana and that Rin had then been snatched away by Iwaizumi.

He hated the fact that Iwaizumi had been the one to steal her heart first along with her first kiss.

He wanted to hold her so badly, kissed her until the world fell apart around them, to…

Eh, he wasn't thinking about volleyball for once.

"Goodbye."

As Hana walked away from him, Oikawa stared at the sky which had begun to be dotted with stars as he thought if he was too late at reclaiming a love he didn't deserve.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Shit Spring Interhigh couldn't have arrived this quickly.

I scowled as I scratched at my throat, trying my best to shove the flowers down as I tried not to cough them up. Despite having tried every damn method in the book to get rid of them, they were still stuck.

I can't believe that Iwaizumi still stuck with me through all of this even though I told him I couldn't be his girlfriend without breaking his heart.

We stopped dating but he was always by my side, trying to make sure I was alright as I drilled them with whatever they needed to know for the next interhigh and even had to deal with Oikawa making Mad dog, a guy from the second year get pissed off at everything he said.

Iwaizumi was able to control him really well though although I heard that it was due to him besting him in everything they fought over. I smiled at the thought of Iwaizumi at least enjoying his final year of high school when I thought of what we were going to do in the future.

Ah, the future was something I never wanted to think about. I had thrown myself deep into volleyball hell just to make sure I never had to deal with it but I knew I had to face it sooner or later.

"So what are you going to do after this?" I murmured as we sat on the rooftop, my head on Iwaizumi's shoulder as he squeezed my hand.

"Who knows? I did get a recommendation or two for universities but I don't know if I would accept them."

"Come on man! You know how hard it is to get recommendations!"

"I know. It's just, all I had ever known was volleyball and besides, I don't know if it would be right to leave that Shittykawa all on his own."

True, none of the third years had ever said anything about what they wanted to do. I assumed that most of them would just go on to be pro volleyball players but the only one capable of doing that would be Oikawa.

Provided his knee didn't give way first.

When he had first collapsed after a game, I and Iwaizumi had to haul him to the nurse's office and make him stay there until the pain died and he was able to stand. His doctor had recommended him doing surgery but that surgery came with the risk of him never being able to leap into the sky ever again.

That's a worse sentence than death to Oikawa if that happened.

Speaking of surgery, I might have to do the surgery if this shit continues with my throat. I didn't know how I was going to explain it to my parents and where I was going to get the cash to do so but that could wait.

"What about you? You thought about what you wanted to do?" he murmured as he stroked my hair. Despite us not being a couple anymore, I did enjoy his presence and him feeling me over, not in a bad way of course!

I stayed silent at that, waiting until the bell rang that signaled us to go for lessons. The day passed by super fast and the next thing I knew, we were back on the court for what may be the last time.

The gym was huge, smelling of Salonpas. Balls flew through the sky, slamming onto the court with accurate precision as boys flew on wings through the sky, spiking and blocking with everything they could.

How I was going to miss this.

"Come on! Interhigh is tomorrow! Let's show them what we're made off!" Yahaba yelled as Kindaichi roared, "Hell yeah! We're going to crush the King to pieces!"

I hope Kindaichi realized that he had almost escaped narrow death as Iwaizumi held me back.

I often wondered if Oikawa didn't want to date me because of Tobio?

Whatever. After all of this ends, I won't ever need to face Oikawa again. That feeling alone broke my heart and made my throat hurt so much like it was on fire but I didn't care. For now, my team was all that matters.

…

"Ka-ka-kageyama! What are you doing?!" Hinata squeaked as Kageyama pinned her against the wall, his arms caging her in as she squeaked. Shit, she knew this was coming but she never expected him to be this insane by caging her in when no one was around.

All because she couldn't say no to extra spiking practice.

Ever since she had became a boy and hid her gender from everyone else, she felt like she was lost and not able to express her emotions the way she did, often feeling bad when boys passed and she had to stop herself from blushing or having to tape her breasts so that she would look flatter, not like she needed much of it anyway.

When Kageyama found out about her being a girl, she had honestly been glad.

She had fallen in love with him the moment she had seen him on the court.

The way he set the ball, his eyes concentrating on the ball in front of him, the curve of his mouth as he breathed and his arms stretched in front to push the ball into the air for her to spike. All of that was the most beautiful things she had ever seen and for someone to spike for her after so many years, that was the best thing she could ever receive.

She had joined Karasuno to be on the team her idol had been on and she had found love instead.

"Hinata, I know that you might love volleyball more than anything in the world and that tomorrow, it may be the last time we play on the court with Daichi-san, Suga-san, and Asahi-san. But, I can't let this stay silent any longer!" Kageyama snapped as Hinata's heart raced. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she might faint.

"I have the hanahaki disease."

Her heart stopped at his words. He was sick? How sick was he?!"

"What?! Don't tell me you're dying!"

"Baka! I'm not dying! I'm just… well… I'm in love with you, baka!"

Her face lit up like a sun on a hot summer afternoon and she felt steam hissing out of her ears as she snapped back, "Tell me properly holy shit! I seriously thought you were dying for a moment!"

"Well I am!"

She wanted to snap something else when he kissed her hard on the mouth, not giving her time to react as he kissed. Gosh, since when was this weird awkward setter such a hot kisser? Hinata leaned into it, gripping his shirt as she kissed him. Ah, his muscles felt so good, he felt so warm.

Kageyama coughed a little, stray flower petals falling from his lips as he stared at them, Hinata wondering what was going on when he covered his mouth.

"This is the hanahaki disease. Apparently, it makes you cough flowers when you fall in love with someone."

Hinata stared at him for a moment and Kageyama wondered if he had truly said something stupid when she started to laugh, tears coming from her eyes as she giggled, "What is this, a shojo manga?"

"Baka! It hurt for a long time you know!"

She shut him up by kissing him hard on the mouth, letting all his sorrows and hurt drown in her as she thought, _"You idiot. I've loved you for a long time too."_

When they broke apart, Kageyama's face was shining so much Hinata thought someone had put a light on in him. He had never looked so happy and at that moment, she saw for the first time the purest smile on his face.

"Hinata, would you be my girlfriend."

"Ah, I don't know what the others would think of you dating a guy."

"Let them think what they want," he growled as he kissed her again, shoving her onto the ground to straddle her hips when the door banged open.

"Kiyoko-san, what a beautiful chick you are…" Tanaka was singing when he saw them on the ground, Hinata's face slowly turning red while Kageyama looked like he had blown a fuse.

"Hi… Hinata and Kageyama! What the… I didn't know you were into this kind of thing… I thought you were…" he stammered when Daichi bonked him on the head, Suga giving them a thumbs up from behind.

"Tanaka, Hinata is a girl."

"What?! He's what?! Please tell me that this isn't true!"

"Tanaka. You're the only one who doesn't know that she's a girl," Suga sighed as Tanaka sank to his knees, wailing at the fact they had a girl right under their noses when Kageyama slipped his hand into Hinata's.

"Man, just before interhigh as well," he murmured when Hinata whispered, "Yes."

Kageyama didn't face her but she didn't need to see his face that he was smiling sincerely for the first time in years.

"Kageyama smiled?! What's going on in this world now? Is it ending?!"

"Shut it Tanaka and go home! We have to rest for tomorrow!" Daichi yelled as Hinata and Kageyama walked out hand in hand.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Finally, the day has come for us to get our revenge on the court.

We blew past every opponent, even the formidable Dateko that had the iron wall but when it came to a certain murder of crows, we were stopped dead in our tracks.

Even as they pulled every trick in the book, every killer serve Oikawa had to offer, I could feel that the game was slipping from our fingers. As I prayed for our success, I also prayed for Tobio to be safe.

" _You did what?!" I blurted as he sighed._

" _I asked her to be my girlfriend and… we ki-ka-su-si-kisu- arghh! I don't want to say it, it's so embarrassing!" he groaned as I could imagine him being all red face right about now._

" _About time! you know how much the disease hurts right?"_

" _Of course I know! That's why I told her! I couldn't have an aching throat throughout Interhigh!"_

_Ah, I needed to get my throat sorted out as well._

" _Have you told him you loved him yet?"_

" _Don't remind me. You know how he can be like."_

" _You know Oikawa-san hates me right."_

_Don't. Don't tell me that because of you, Oikawa might hate me as well._

" _Oikawa-san isn't like that. I believe that he cares for you much more than you think. I don't know much about love, but I believe that what he's feeling for you might be love."_

_My heart skipped a few beats when he decided to ruin the mood by adding, "I still can't believe that Iwaizumi-san put up with your love spats."_

" _Shut it Tobio!"_

"Blast you, little devil," I growled before shouting, "Kick his ass, Aoba Johsai!"

The referee scowled at me as Iwaizumi and Oikawa looked at me, a look of surprise on their faces before it turned into grins.

"Of course, who do you think we are?" Oikawa grinned but the score was bad. I guessed Hinata and Kageyama's love had been increased on the court after their confession the previous day.

Deuce. Shit. When will this end?

Then the final strike came and I watched as the ball soared to our side of the court, barely getting past the blockers as Oikawa dashed to meet it. Just at that moment, I saw him lose focus for just a split second when I let out a cough, a stray petal falling out as I snapped to myself, _"Shit, hold it!"_

The ball connected with his arms to shoot way out of the court, the ball spinning out of control to hit the wall behind him as I stared.

Did I just end our journey in Interhigh?

We had lost. We had just lost.

"We… we won!" Hinata yelled as Kageyama held her tight, bouncing her up and down as baldie and their vice captain jumped onto them, their manager on the verge of tears as well as they hugged one another.

Our team was in shambles, some of the guys on their knees. Watari was sobbing onto the ground, Kindaichi trying his best to haul him to his feet while Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa, who's eyes were glued to Kageyama's smiling face.

For the first time though, Oikawa didn't look like he wanted to kill him.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered as I felt the first tear come to my eyes, my eyes watering to the point I couldn't see what was in front of me anymore. I knew we should go line up but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

If I hadn't coughed, if I hadn't had this blasted Hanahaki disease…

If I hadn't fallen for Oikawa in the first place, we might have won.

I felt someone wrapping their arms around me as I looked up to see Oikawa, his face dry of tears as he patted me on the back, the guys staring as he whispered, "Don't, it was all my fault."

He slowly led me to line up in front of the net and as I shook Karasuno's manager's hand when I felt something constrain in my throat. No.. not now. Not in front of everyone.

I felt myself gag as I clawed at my throat, flowers spilling out as I slammed onto the floor, shouts and screams filling the air as Iwaizumi screamed my name, Tobio and Hinata's voices in the background as coach shouted, "Get a medic quick!"

" _Oh damn, I must look like I mess now…"_ I thought as I was pulled under.

…

Iwaizumi paced in front of the door as he waited for the news. Most of the others had been herded home by the coach but he refused to go home, not when his ex was risking her life in the ward.

Oikawa had the nerve to stay on and not say a word on how she had been vomiting flowers onto the court.

"Oi Shittykawa, you know what the hell is this right?"

"Hanahaki. I never thought this actually existed," he whispered as Iwaizumi balled his fist.

"I told you that she liked you and you didn't even bother to try and ask her about it and now, look at what happened! She might have to go for surgery to remove it or worse…"

"She will lose her memories of her loving me?"

Iwaizumi's heart got caught in his throat as he growled, "You want her to forget her love for you?"

"I don't deserve her and she doesn't deserve to be with me."

"How can you say that?! She loves you so much! Even when I tried to be everything she wanted you to be for her, you still want to toss her aside like trash, you piece of trash?!"

"You think she will ever forgive me for hurting Tobio-chan?! You think I don't know that they are cousins and that she saw me almost hitting Tobio on that day when we were in middle school?! How could I face and tell a girl I love her when I almost hurt her cousin? Heck, I might even be the reason that he turned out to be so cold on the court."

Oikawa sniffled as Iwaizumi unclenched his fists, his heart slowly unraveling as he saw his best friend cry for the first time in years.

"We may have lost the game today. This is the end of the line for our high school volleyball careers. But…" Iwaizumi snapped as he slammed his hands on Oikawa and shoved him against the wall, bunching his shirt as he yelled, "that doesn't mean you should end high school without telling her you loved her!"

Some of the nurses and patients turned to stare at them, some wondering what two boys were doing quarreling over love in the corridor so late into the night when the doctor opened the door where Rin was in.

"How is she?" Iwaizumi asked as the doctor sighed, "We managed to remove the infection from her throat. Good grief, I had heard of this in folklore but I never thought I would come across it in my entire medical career. That girl must have fallen hard for someone…"

Oikawa couldn't breath as he stepped back, his heart racing as he braced himself on the wall when Iwaizumi whispered, "What did you do?"

Rin would have forgotten she ever loved him by now.

Without listening to what else the doctor had to say, Oikawa turned his heel and ran, ran and ran until he reached Aoba Johsai and he continued to spike balls until his knee gave way, leaving him spent on the floor as he cried out.

"What else do you want to take from me, Kamisama?!" he yelled as he howled, his voice bouncing off the walls as he sobbed.

He had lost everything he loved with volleyball.

Now, he had lost the love of his life.

…

Iwaizumi didn't chase after Oikawa, watching as his silhouette disappeared into the shadows. He knew that he would find Oikawa in the gym eventually, spiking until his body gave way but right now, he didn't feel like he had the energy to yell at him to stop and take care of himself.

Rin has forgotten about loving Oikawa.

How long he had dreamed that he could have heard that news but instead, he felt a sinking feeling in his gut about it all. How could he be happy when his best friend was now in pain.

He put a hand on the door, sliding it open to see Rin lying on the bed, her eyes closed as she slept. He reached to take her hand when he drew it back, holding it as though he had touched something hot.

No, he wouldn't take advantage of her when she had gone through so much.

As he turned to close the door, he didn't see the single stray tear falling from the corner of Rin's eye as she slumbered, dreaming of a person she had loved once but could no longer remember.

**Stay tuned for the last chapter!**

 


	10. Chapter 10

**So here we are at the final chapter. I'm actually going to write an epilogue because I think it can't end on this note just yet but still, it had gone by so fast omg.**

**Thank you to those who have liked and read the story. It's an absolute honor for you to actually take the time to read this story.**

**I don't own the characters except for Rin.**

The words that washed over me still didn't help me get over the fact that this would be the last time I be part of this school.

At long last, we're graduating high school and going to university.

After much debate, I finally settled to do a physiotherapy degree since I had always been afraid of how the guys could get injured and with this, I might just be able to make sure a certain person would remain in one piece.

Speaking of said person, he was rather silent as usual today.

Ever since the fainting incident after Interhigh, Oikawa had been avoiding me like the plague, always running off whenever I tried to ask him something or to just ask him why he was avoiding me in the first place.

The worse thing was that nagging feeling at the back of my mind that he had something to do with me collapsing and getting embarrassed from fainting in front of a huge crowd.

Matsun and Maki were trying their best not to cry from their row as both of them would be going to separate universities in different prefectures. I know those two were as thick as thieves and couldn't imagine life without the two of them. Iwaizumi was going to a university in Tokyo while Oikawa had got so many recommendations to go to top universities in Tokyo.

Which was why I was surprised he chose the same university as I was going to, a small university in Osaka which I managed to get into after putting so many hours of studying until I thought I was going mad.

"Shit, we're really done," Maki sobbed as Matsun held his shoulders.

"It's not the end of the world. We can still call and…" he hiccupped as Iwaizumi smacked them on the head.

"Ora! Don't go crying like that! We're adult men now!" he said as I giggled at the sight. These guys had made my high school life, a part of my life I dreaded so much about one of the best things that ever happened to my life and given me sights I had never experienced before.

"Speaking of which, where's Oikawa?" Matsun murmured as I heard a sound from my pocket. I open my phone to see a single text message from Oikawa.

"Meet me under the cherry blossom tree outside of the gym."

"Strange, what the hell does he want now?" I murmured as Iwaizumi put his hands on my shoulder.

"Well you wouldn't want to miss it for the world," he smiled as he gave me a gentle push forward. He had been so supportive of me after Interhigh ended and had even made sure I didn't flunk any exams as he was in the college preparatory class and was much better at studying despite him looking like he had more muscles than brains.

When I saw Oikawa waiting under the tree, his certificate in his hand, I thought he looked almost angelic under it all.

Until he opened his mouth.

"Hey, whats up, Rin-chan?' he grinned as I knocked him with my certificate.

"Well says the person who's been avoiding me like a plague since Interhigh. Sheesh, just tell me what the heck is going on with you?!"

He sighed as he leaned against the tree, the cherry blossoms starting to bloom as he asked, "Do you remember the sakura flowers?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Last year, do you not remember loving someone so much that it hurt to even speak and that you were coughing up flowers."

"Now I think you've gone loony."

A gust of wind blew, shaking some of the flowers free from the branches, their petals scattering into the sky as he put his hand over mine. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered why it even reacted in that way when he whispered, "I do."

He kissed me hard, the flowers still falling around us and at that moment, I felt something in my heart break free. As we kissed, images of me watching him from afar, the beating of my heart whenever I wished that I could just be with him or even get him to notice me, the yearning for him to kiss me like this.

"Why? Why after all this time, after all the shit you put me through, only now you acknowledge my feelings?" I whispered as I pulled back but he still held his grip on me.

"I didn't think you would forgive me after what I did to Tobio. I know that he's your cousin and that you saw what happened between us on that day when we were in middle school. I thought that if I ever got together with you, I might accidently hurt you."

His grip slackened as he breathed in and out, his heart racing in his chest as he tried to control his feelings. He wasn't going to be like his father. He wasn't going to be like him at all.

"Oikawa, everyone one of us has a bad moment in our lives. Whether we regret it and choose to become better, that's what matters."

I placed a hand on his cheek, his body going stiff under my touch as I said, "I had forgiven you about it ages ago. And I believe Tobio has forgiven you too."

Silent tears ran down Oikawa's face as he cried into her, wondering if it was all true when he felt a sting across his face.

"But… I still can't forgive you 100% for what you did to my heart by making me have hanahaki and going to the hospital and everything!"

"I know that! I know how much I hurt you! I know how much pain this caused Iwai-chan because he truly loved you more than anything but you were in love with me. I tried to kill the love, try to go out with Hana-chan to see if it would go away but no. It just got more and more."

He cupped my face in his hands, bringing his forehead to press against mine, letting the wind do the talking for him just for a moment.

"Please, if you would forgive me and if it's not too late for me to say this but, I love you, Tachibana Rin. Would you go out with me?"

Tears fell from my face as I kissed him, soft as he leaned in, growling as he turned and pushed me against the tree trunk to give me support as he kissed me deeper and deeper. Ah, we're high school students for the last time and here I was making out with Oikawa under the cherry blossoms.

"Yes. Yes, Shittykawa, I accept."

He smiled, the first time I've seen him smile a smile so pure it reminded me of the smile Tobio gave whenever he was around Hinata, whom he had been dating and was still madly in love with for the past three months. They had even gone all the way to win nationals and were now top players of the country and have truly ruled and stayed on the court.

How happy I was to be surrounded by such amazing people in an amazing sport.

"Come on, let's go for the volleyball club farewell."

"You want to go with your face like this?"

"Ha! I can just wipe it away later or splash water on my face."

"Nah, I don't think it would work that well, Shittykawa."

"Gah, don't use that nickname like Iwaizumi does."

From the distance, I could make out Iwaizumi watching us, a sad but satisfied smile on his face that his best friend had found love in the girl he loved himself. Even though I had stolen his heart, he still loved me and he had told me he never regretted ever being with me and that he was now ready to let me go.

Hanahaki.

_A disease that ravages the body when one falls into a one sided love relationship, making the person cough up flower petals as it spreads through the lungs._

_The only way a person can be cured is either by making sure the other person falls in love with them as well or they can opt for a surgery to remove the infection but at the price of losing the love they have felt for the person they loved but never had any feelings returned to them._

As we stood under the cherry blossoms, I could feel the flowers swirling in me, disappearing into the sky as I finally found and confessed to the love of my life.

Even though he is a piece of shit, I would always love him to the end of the line.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Enjoy the final chapter of Hanahaki : Love hurts!**

**I don't own the characters except for Rin (although I wish Oikawa can be mine sigh...)**

The smell of Salonpas in the air.

The sound of shoes squeaking against the polished floor.

The sound of cheers ringing from the sides of the court.

The sound of the ball smacking onto the ground with a satisfying smack.

"Yes!" Tobio yelled as he pumped a fist into the air, sweat dribbling from the side of his face as he grinned, turning to give Oikawa a fist bump. Finally, at long last, Oikawa had got over his hatred for him and now they were working together as setter and spiker on the court.

"I'm still surprised you came here considering you know who is here," Kuroo, a black haired guy with rooster hair grinned as Ushijima gave them a scowl from the end of the court.

"Well I didn't know he would be coming here of all places and that we would eventually get stuck on the same team," Oikawa whined as Ushijima called, "You should have come to Shiratorizawa."

"Damn, I'm starting to think that could be a meme," Bokuto laughed as he slung an arm around Kuroo's neck, both of them from top volleyball teams in Tokyo who were now trying out to be on the Japan team.

Oikawa looked ready to go head on into it and win it all.

Iwaizumi still played volleyball but he no longer did it as much as he used to back in high school. There were times I could tell Oikawa misses him on the court, how he had someone to back him up whenever he tossed a ball to someone.

Not to mention Iwaizumi was too busy with his new girlfriend right now.

"Gah, I can't believe that guy went and got hitched so quickly! I could seriously use him on the court again," Oikawa groaned as I came over with bottles of water.

"So are you saying being in a relationship is making you a worse volleyball player?"

"Ah… I didn't say that."

I and Oikawa have been dating for about three years now and even though we had ups and downs, I still felt that this idiot was the right one for me.

Kageyama and Hinata would be getting married once they were done with university which was still a pretty long way from now but then again, no one said an engagement can't last that long either.

I felt so happy that they were together. Hinata eventually got called out on being a girl and breaking the rules on being on the male team but in the end, she was so valuable of a volleyball player that she had been asked to sign with the under 19 Japan's girl's team once she entered the second year of high school. Tobio had been so jealous but at the same time so proud that his girlfriend could finally stand on the world stage, even though he could no longer toss to her on the court.

"Oi, Bakayama! Stop spacing out! You're supposed to come with me to get new shoes remember?"

"You know you can always get them on your own right?" he groaned as Hinata whispered, "I just want you to like them when you pick them out personally."

He went red in the face as he began to stammer out that he would meet her after changing.

"Oi stray ball!" Bokuto yelled as Oikawa spiked a ball across the net, no one there to intercept it except for me.

I don't know how that came over me but I leaped into the air and killed the speed, using my hands to block it downwards as it smashed onto the court with a slam.

"What the hell Oikawa?!" I yelled as he called out, "Sorry!"

I gently picked up the ball, glad that all those times of actually practicing a bit of volleyball with the guys and Hinata paid off when I noticed something scrawled all over it.

"Ah, you might want to look at the ball!" Oikawa called as I tried to make out the horrible handwriting. It was in English which wasn't exactly my strong suit, which was also the same problem Tobio had since he hated the language but I had watched enough films to make out what it meant.

"Marry me."

I dropped the ball as Kuroo hooted with laughter, holding his sides as Tobio raised an eyebrow as he wondered if he had gone mad.

"Seriously, that was so lame man! You're handwriting sucks, to begin with! Not to mention that was vandalism of team property!"

"You're the one who told me to use that damn method, Kuroo-chan!"

As I blushed red in the face, Oikawa jogged over and gently plucked the ball from his hands as he fished in his pants for something before pulling it out.

"Ok that was pretty lame but let me ask you properly this time, in a more civilized way," he said as he knelt on one knee, some of the guys hooting and cheering as they gathered in a ring around us. Even the coach turned to look, a grin on his face as he thought of youth and how much he missed it.

"Tachibana Rin, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Part of me had been wishing for someone to tell me those words since I was a little girl and I didn't imagine that the person to do so would have been brought to me through volleyball.

"Do it! Do it!" everyone yelled as I nodded, cheers erupting around the court as Oikawa slid the ring onto my finger.

"Shittykawa," I murmured as I pulled him against me, kissing him as the team cheered and laugh, even Ushijima not being able to keep himself from smiling as Bokuto yelled, "Alright! Time to go for drinks! This calls for a celebration!"

"Hey not all of us can drink you know!" Tobio groaned as Hinata grabbed his arm, "No worries! You're tall so you can pass as an adult!"

"What about you, boke?! You look like a child!"

As Tobio howled with Hinata punching him in the stomach, I smiled as Oikawa wrapped an arm around me and pecked me on the cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered as he laced my hands with mine, leading me out of the gym into the world outside. As we walked, the cherry blossoms fell to the ground around us, shedding pink onto this grey world as they lit it up with color.

It all started with a girl falling in love with a certain piece of trash and coughing up flowers.

Now, the circle has finally been completed as they set off into a new life on and off the court.

**Thank you for being with this story for the short duration it was written in.**

**Until we meet again, ave atque vale and sayonara.**

 


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